GestiFute

GestiFute full name Gestão de Carreiras de Profissionais Desportivos S.A. is a Portuguese company. It provides agent services for footballers. Unlike other football associations, Portugal allowed other parties to own part of the economic rights of the players, in order to receive part of the transfer fees. The company was founded by Jorge Mendes.

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GestiFute involved in numbers of high profile move in European transfer market, such as Cristiano Ronaldo. Before FIFA set up a new law to restrict third parties ownership (with "significant influence"), GestiFute was actively involved in third parties ownership. However, it in fact conflict of interests, as GestiFute was both the owner and the agent of the player. After 2008, GestiFute only received agent fees for the deals the company broke, and not actively in third parties ownership, however a portion of the million transfer deal (such as 5%) was already half of, or even exceed the annual salary of the player.

In 2003, on 9 March, GestiFute announced that they represent Benfica's midfielderTiago Mendes, who was previously represented by their rival company, Superfute.[1] Approximately two months later, on 23 May, Tiago's teammate Ricardo Rocha traveled the same path, making a hugely surprising move to GestiFute.[2] During the summer of that year, on 29 July, Porto bought 20% of Deco's economic rights from GestiFute for €2.25 million, plus 5% of Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho economic rights, being this price a bit high than the presumed because the Portuguese team refused a €15 million offer from Barcelona.[3][4][5] In the following month, on day 4, the same team bought more 15% of Deco's economic rights for €1.25 million, plus 10% of Benni McCarthy.[6][7] However after acquiring 35% rights, Porto still owned 85% rights before he was sold.

In 2004 some players represented by GestiFute were transferred for record prices. The first one was Porto's defenderPaulo Ferreira who joined the English club Chelsea for €20 million, on 22 June.[8] One month later, on 27 July, Ferreira's teammate Ricardo Carvalho traveled at the same direction, moving from Porto to Chelsea for a fee of €30 million.[9] Deco also was bought by Barcelona, but with smaller numbers than Ferreira and Carvalho. Barcelona agreed on a €15 million fee in cash, plus the complete rights of Ricardo Quaresma to Porto, which tagged Quaresma for €6 million.[10]

In 2005, on 14 June, GestiFute acquired a reported 70% of Anderson's economic rights for €5.5 million. The midfielder, who was playing for Grêmio, signed for the company, getting established that he would not play for the Brazilian team again.[11] Some days later, on 21 June, Porto bought Anderson,[12] and GestiFute's Jorge Mendes guaranteed a reported 20% of the Brazilian rights[13][14] with the club retain 65% economic rights.[15] Later that year, on 9 December, the Tunisian midfielder Selim Benachour, who was in the Portuguese team Vitória de Guimarães, also signed for GestiFute.[16] In 2006, on 1 December, the 18 years old midfielderFábio Coentrão joined GestiFute.[17]

In 2010, in August, the football agent Gonçalo Reis complained that he had been left on the sidelines when Bébé, a player he represented, was transferred to Manchester United from Vitória de Guimarães. "When [Jorge] Mendes arrived," he said, "I was out of the transaction." Reis had arranged Bébé's move to Vitória from Estrela da Amadora in the Portuguese third division in July 2010 after the cancellation of his contract due to the club's inability to pay the player's wages. Manchester United signed Bébé for a reported fee of £7.4 million five weeks later.[19] United's manager, Alex Ferguson, admitted that he had not seen Bébé play.[20] Gestifute apparently received 30 percent of the transfer fee for their part ownership of the player's economic rights.[21] Vitória's directors reported that Mendes had received €3.6 million of the €9 million fee from the deal, with reports in Portugal suggesting that €2.7 million of that sum came from the 30 percent of the player's economic rights initially retained by Bébé but bought from the player by Mendes for €100,000.[22]

In summer 2008 GestiFute also signed 15% economic rights of Pelé as the latter was the piece-weigh of Internazionale to sign Quaresma. Quaresma himself joined Inter for €18.6M plus Pelé, was also represented by GestiFute. In June 2009, GestiFute signed Alexis Quintulen's 35% rights and Ignacio Ameli's 50% rights for €473 thousand.[23]

In the same season Bébé left Portugal, GestiFute also broke the deal of Ángel Di María to Real Madrid for €25 million plus €11 million bonus. Two year before, GestiFute signed 10% economic rights from Benfica for €1 million, which Benfica the remain 20% earlier in August for €2 million.[24] GestiFute also signed the rights to receive 30% profit of selling Sidnei after deducted the residual contract value (Portuguese: mais valia líquida).[24]

In August 2011 Porto sold Falcao for €40 million. GestiFute and Orel B.V. received a total of €3.705 million agent fee (unknown ratio between the two company).[25] GestiFute later (or before the deal) became the agent of the player. That season GestiFute also represented Coentrão in his €30 million deal to city rival Real Madrid.